Trail Song

"A Trail Song uses a well known song or tune but replaces the lyrics with words of its own. These words reference objects, people and places experienced on the journey"

Trail Songs Magazine (1954) -The Whyte Museum Archive, Banff, CAN

In the tradition of the Trail Songs from North America, we invent lyrics as we travel from place to place. Like modern day Songlines these songs tell about the geography and the people of the landscape, each song refers to a direction or path taken and is matched to the video footage we shoot en route. The original tune is something we might overhear on a street corner, in a café or on the car radio. The lyrics denote the everyday things we see in the landscape as we travel. Through these songs we aim to preserve the land/story of the journeys we make together as a family.

"Songlines, also called Dreaming Tracks by indigenous Austrialns, are an ancient cultural concept and motif perpetuated through oral lore and singing. Songlines are an intricate series of song cycles that identify landmarks and subtle tracking mechanisms for navigation"

Wikipedia

Trail Song Lyrics

From Golden Gate on rental date to Highway 1 and Stinson
Half and half or 2 percent - Yee Ha
Bodega Bay with Oyster shuck, rest room in the rear
From RV park to main street shout - Yee Ha

Riding on a monorail, Space Needle and Best Western
Pacific coach to ferry boat - Yee Ha
Whale watching round the islands, floating on the ocean
To Blackfoot and to potlatch cry - Yee Ha

Stanley Park its sky high buildings, sea planes in the harbour
Ski slopes and to Whistler up we go - Yee Ha
At Squamish see the red eye and horseback reservation
raising glasses high we shout - Yee Ha

To Salmon Arms and Super 8 past frozen lakes and falls
On chained up wheels now we carry on - Yee Ha
To bear run and to wolf street where the switchback turn upon us
With rabbit foot as guide were almost done - Yee Ha

Trail Song is documented as part of the Transformation series at Proboscis.